


The Troubles

by DominoMags



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bloody Sunday, Death, Gen, Northern Irish Troubles, Violence, pure historical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-12-17 04:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11843559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominoMags/pseuds/DominoMags
Summary: January 30th 1972. The Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. This is where the Doctor, Rose, and Jack have landed. And this is where 28 civilians are shot by the British Military. 13 die outright, with one dying later. Can the Doctor and his friends make it out of these Troubles alive, or will they number among the dead?





	1. Sunday Bloody Sunday

It was the 30th of January 1972. Somewhere an old man in velvet was fiddling with a blue box in his laboratory. Though that might have been the 1980’s depending on who you ask. However, currently, said blue box was now in Derry, Northern Ireland miles from the lab at UNIT HQ, where it most certainly still resided. Here, instead of looking out upon a sterile interior with tile floors and test tubes, it was bearing witness to something it was no stranger to: a massacre.<br />

The Doctor had seen bloodshed before. It was still fresh in his memory. It was quite likely he would see it again too. For an idiot in a leather jacket and short brown hair, who ran from his people more times than he could count, he was stained in death. Then again, it’s kind of hard to fight in the grandest war of them all and come out unscathed, as it is to travel through time and space and not get a bit of blood on your clothing. History can be a sepia-toned smorgasbord of suffering and sorrow, cleaned up and airbrushed for future posterity. When faced with this guilt and the sobering knowledge that comes with both warfare and time travel, he often retreats inward or uses humor to diffuse the situation. Here, another older habit comes into play: He and his friends have just exited a chaotic scene and have no idea what they are getting into.

They exit the blue police box, surrounded by residential buildings in a walled city. As they conversed, they absentmindedly explored the area, in case something stood out. “I don’t see why we have to leave the Maldovarium. I could go for a nice drink. That one chap almost bought me one.” Complained a former time agent with missing memories and a little black book that would make Casanova blush. He was followed by a young, blonde cockney woman, who responded rather matter-of-factly after escaping the scene they just fled. “Well the bloke was married to that weird lady in the catsuit. I don’t think she took too kindly to that.” Rose certainly wouldn’t.“How was I supposed to know he was married to a Drahven General?” The Doctor, clad in his leather Jacket and a dark blue jumper, rolled his eyes at the Captain’s penchant for boozing and bedding. “You would flirt with a Rutan while you’re sober. We don’t need alcohol involved, Captain, especially when there are things you can’t remember as is, but people who certainly remember you.” Rose chimed in enthusiastically. “Like that frog faced bloke with the cigar. He didn’t seem too thrilled when he heard your name either, Doctor.” The Time Lord stood with his hands in his pockets. “We have a bit of a past, me and that one. Best not get into it. Or the talking penguin.” His young blonde partner in crime laughed with a mix of amusement and confusion. “Your life makes no sense sometimes.” He retorted with his infectious grin. “More fun that way. Not used to it yet?” “Of course. Wouldn’t change it for the world. Any of em.” The 19-year-old girl chirped happily to her temporal chaperone. “If you two are going to flirt, at least save some for me.” Jack winked.

” Just saying though. Maybe we could go to Boston next time. I could go for a nice Irish Car Bomb.” As if on cue, an explosion goes off within shouting distance of the trio. “What the hell was that?” exclaimed Rose, who nearly rocketed out of her trainers from the nearby bomb. The Doctor turned to his newest traveling partner. “Jack, could you kindly shut up?” The ex-time agent with the American accent stretched his arms out in an appeal to his Gallifreyan friend “Jeez. Like I could expect an explosion. Just shoot me already.” And as if on cue, shots rang out, followed by panicked screams. It really wasn’t Jack Harkness’ day. The Doctor looked at him with sarcastic astonishment. “Anything else?” Rose suggested as the unease of their situation set in. “We better get out of here before this trip goes up in smoke.” This idea was met by convenient gas grenades, courtesy of the British Government, prompting coughing and choking from the three companions. “Please the both of you. By all mean. Continue.” More gunshots followed, this time, they were a lot closer.  “BACK TO THE TARDIS! NOW?”

 Before they could exit the scene and move on, soldiers showed up and aimed their guns. “Don’t move!” “Run!” The Doctor, Rose, and Jack made a break for it, but it was utter chaos, with people being killed around them by the authorities. “Why don’t we just head back to the TARDIS?” “I would rather not turn my back while guns are aimed at me, thank you very much. We’ll return once it dies down.” Unfortunately, it soon set in where and when they were. The Doctor stepped on a damp newspaper. The date: January 30th, 1972. They were in Derry, Northern Ireland. It was Bloody Sunday. The second one anyway.“So, are we going to face Daleks or Slitheen or something? Is there some, like, Alien plot here?” “Nope, just human beings being stupid apes as usual. You lot and your propensity for bloodshed.” The Doctor supposed he was just projecting. He did have a fondness for humans, even if they frustrated him too often. Perhaps it was still lingering guilt for his people’s actions. Perhaps this in a morbid sense, gave him nostalgia for when he and his older companions got wrapped up in Earth’s history, with no extraterrestrial interference or anachronisms. It was a simpler time, when sometimes a historical event was nothing more than that. Where the Doctor could just get lost in it all and just drift away afterwards, like a tourist. Of course, on the flip-side, human beings had nobody to blame for their actions but themselves. In the confusion of this attack by government upon its people, there was bedlam, and bloodshed.

The parachute regiment of the British Army told them to stand down or they would shoot. Unfortunately, this meant the TARDIS crew had to scatter for the time being, but assuming neither of the Doctor’s friends were among the casualties of this event, they should see each other before too long. Then they could return to the TARDIS and leave as if they had never entered, as fleeting and immaterial as ghosts, which was sadly befitting the situation. After all this, maybe a trip to the pub wasn’t too bad an idea, if they all made it out in one piece. No. Not if. It was a matter of when. The Doctor may not have been able to change the course of these events without repercussions, no matter how much he might want to. But he would be damned if his friends would be counted among the casualties. He had traveled far and wide, but he wasn’t going down that route again. Not today.

 Rose and Jack found each other quicker than expected, but regardless, they were just happy to have found each other a few blocks later. Now they just had to find their Time Lord friend. Instead, they were found by other panicked souls. “Quickly, in here.” Whispered a woman in her thirties. The former shop girl and the ex-conman weren’t about to look a cliched equine in the mouth, so they hurriedly entered the woman’s house, so that they could regroup, find their friend, and leave. Rose had a sinking feeling this would take a while though. 


	2. Wasted Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it has been way too long since I have written anything, but I want to blow the dust off and grow as a writer and become better than I was in the past. I have had several ideas I have wanted to explore for some time and this is one of those ideas. I feel a pure historical, if done well, could be pretty cool in modern Doctor Who, if not risky, as it would probably be felt that Daleks or something are needed to spice it up. The IRA Troubles seem like an interesting, if not bloody and tragic period to explore, through the eyes of the people there, but also these time travelers. I wanted to do a bit of a character study on how being there would impact the Doctor, Rose, and Jack. The 9th Doctor seems like the best fit for this in my opinion, since he is fresh from the Time War in comparison to his replacements. I just hope I can not only grow as a writer, but entertain and engage my audience. I also want to do the characters justice, so if anything seems a bit off, feel free to point it out, especially in regards to Rose. She's not exactly my favorite but I want to do right by her here.

Northern Ireland still belonged to Britain, as it still does, while Ireland is independent. The TARDIS and her occupants had landed in a country divided. Where Catholics and Protestants clashed. The Time Traveling alien with the Northern English accent and the barebones fashion sense certainly didn’t stand out, visually speaking. Not like he used to. He reflected on. Well, depending on where and when. If he showed up in ancient Rome in a leather jacket, he might seem out of place. History was like a morbid honey trap. It was bloody and dangerous but sometimes you just wanted to take it all in. Here and now, he just wanted to focus on getting his friends, and going back to the TARDIS.

Given the situation, he couldn’t just ask around on the street for a Blonde girl from London and an American. He would just have to find a place to hide out and hope he could regroup with his companions. That might take a while, but what is time to a Time Lord? They were human though. If harm befell him, he would get a new face and have some explaining to do to Rose and Jack. If anything happened to either of them, especially Rose, he wouldn’t forgive himself. The sounds of still echoed as he ran through the streets of Derry. Here and now, he just wanted to focus on getting his friends, and going back to the TARDIS. “Hope they haven’t gotten into too much trouble.” He sighed as he ran through the town, making a mental map of where he had been and which direction his friends went in.

Rose had, in her short time traveling with the Doctor, seen and done a lot of dangerous, breath taking things. She met a Dalek, broke time to save her father, and fought ghosts at Christmas with Charles Dickens. However, this felt a lot more real. No space stations or bug-eyed monsters., just scared, angry people being killed by soldiers. She shuddered to think what would happen if she were to die here, before she was even born. Heck, her mother was a child herself in this year. It all seemed so bonkers. And yet, she felt emboldened by this.

Of course, she was scared. A lot of people were today. However, she had a friend close by, with the Doctor most likely on his way to find them and take them back to the TARDIS. She had the aid of this local woman who had invited her and Jack in to keep them safe. But above all else, she had resolve. A nineteen-year-old shop girl who never sat her A-levels and here she was, miles and decades from home. If having your boring job blown up by a northern Bloke from space and being unemployed couldn’t stop her, neither could this. She hoped anyway. She didn’t want to live that mundane life for the rest of her days. She wanted a life that made a difference. There was so much to see and do. She would be lying if she said she didn’t miss her mom at least a little bit. And Mickey. She did practically leave him for a man in a magic box and leave him to take the blame for her disappearance. He wasn’t a stellar boyfriend and she wouldn’t trade her experiences for the world, but she felt a tinge of guilt for making her mom and Mickey worry. She felt sorrow for the people she had seen die (mostly heard in this case).

She looked at Jack, his white t-shirt stained with sweat from running for their lives. He had probably seen his fair share of death too, probably more than she had. He was a former time-agent after all, though she had only recently heard of such a thing. “Thanks for letting us in, ma’am. We were separated from our friend.”  “Well, it’s no trouble, dear. I couldn’t just let ye run about while the men with their guns are firin’ on us. Yer not from around here though, are ye?” the lady asked. She was older, probably about the same age as Rose’s mum (well, as old as she was in 2006), with curly red hair and a mole on her right cheek as well as a light dusting of freckles. “Ye don’t sound like yer with the IRA. Yer not with the soldiers, are ye?” the woman asked cautiously. Jack responded. “We wouldn’t be escaping from them if we were.” The lady nodded and attended to the kettle. “It doesn’t hurt to check. These are troublesome times, me lad. Not good for random tourists to be wandering around. Not with that protest. Not with” she paused for a moment. Rose and Jack did as well. Not out of sorrow and fear, as she did, but out of curiosity for their surroundings.

This was very much a Christian home, with a prominent cross overlooking an end table close to the door. There was a box underneath, filed with photos and soldier’s things. Rose took a moment from observation of the house to observe their host. She placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, ma’am.” The woman shook her head. “No, no. It’s quite alright, dear. And call me Madge.” She smiled gratefully at the young woman for her sympathies for shaking her out of her stupor. Rose could tell she had lost someone. As a girl who lost her father young (and recently had the chance to be with him in his final moments), she could sense sorrow to a degree. Madge looked to Jack and winked. “Especially you, handsome.” She said with a laugh. Jack shrugged in his normal manner as Rose looked at him with a smile. “I didn’t even have to say anything.” Madge poured three cups of tea and set them on a basic table with simple adornments. “So, you two. What’s your story?”

 The Doctor’s mind wandered. He really shouldn’t have put the randomizer back in. He thought it would be more spontaneous that way. Just his luck though. They wound up at an alien bar, and then Earth in 1972. He wouldn’t be shocked if they wound up in Belfast a few days later if they got back to the TARDIS. The TARDIS has been taken before, as some sort of art piece or hostage or a piece of salvaged bounty. Sometimes it just sort of disappeared. The HADS wasn’t set though, so it should be sitting still, hopefully. For now, that wasn’t the main worry. He was a bit saddened in a morbid way. He had seen so much death, destruction, and pain in all his lifetimes, especially during that damned war: The Last Great Time War.

 He was so sick of it but had resigned himself somewhat to never being able to escape, though Rose had given him hope again. Jack had been a welcome addition too, not that the Doctor would admit it.  That said and done though, he loved the simple joys of witnessing history playing out. It was like a film but one where you were witnessing the events in real time (and meddling in his case often.) It gave him a simple nostalgic joy in a way, as revisiting the past normally would. This was not his past though. It was a bloody, tumultuous period of human history. These were not his people (They could be far worse, with all their pomp and pageantry and pretension, they could be terrifying when it came down to it). This was not some vacation destination. This was home to a lot of people, and the final resting place of too many for his taste. “Note to self: avoid landing on Sundays.” He said grimly with a dash of caustic humor. His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sight: the TARDIS. He was still worried for his friends, but he couldn’t help but grin with boyish glee at this reunion. “There you are, old girl. Fantastic!” He stroked the blue police box affectionately. It hadn’t been that long, but it had been too long.

And then it was cut too short. “Oi! Shouted a soldier as he trained his gun on the strange, leather clad man with the big ears, causing said man to roll his eyes and sigh in defeat. Honestly, time really did have its ways, didn’t it?  “Sorry, dear. Be back before the kettle boils over.” The Doctor muttered, and then ran before he could fish out his key and just escape inside. He cursed to himself. “I really could have just popped in. Don’t know why I make things harder for myself sometimes.” He tripped over a dead body and stopped for a second in sorrowful realization. “I’m very sorry.” He didn’t linger long though, as shots rang out. Just his luck that he wound up where he started, ran into a soldier, and managed to narrowly miss taking a bullet. He would worry about that later. For now, he had one mission: Find his comrades. Find Jack. Find Rose. He already lamented being powerless to stop established events. He would never forgive himself if she was among the dead.


	3. Not a Soldier Boy was Bleeding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might rewrite this in the future, as this idea is kind of my baby. But for now, I will keep posting it and I hope that all of you like it. If there's anything you like or dislike, please let me know. I contemplated using names of real victims, but I decided not to out of respect for them, and also because I probably don't need to. I feel like things might be a bit clunky right now, but I want to, again, examine this period of history, the characters of Jack, Rose, and the Doctor, and how things like this impact them. I also want to explore Madge more, who I created as a sort of avatar for the time. So it's a period piece, a character study, and a writing exercise rolled into one, more or less. Aside from references, the Doctor, the TARDIS, and the Psychic paper, I tried to keep this adventure grounded in reality. That probably makes it a bit boring, but I thought this was an avenue worth exploring. Anyway, enjoy, my dears.

Rose sipped her tea, lost in thought as her. She had been running away from guns and soldiers, but she had glanced a body out of the corner of her eye. It hadn’t left enough of an impression for her to recognize the dead person’s appearance, but one thing stuck with her. The eyes of this person, filled with fear and pain, staring blankly in Rose’s direction. Those eyes would stick with her. Before her travels with the Doctor, her life was so mundane. Now she felt more involved with the universe. She felt like taking a stand. On the flip-side though, she had never witnessed as much death as she did now.   She thought about today’s events, and about the history that would follow. What if she had been shot for taking a stand? For telling the military to leave these people alone or for fighting against the internment camps. She wasn’t totally well-verse in history, even after experiencing it, but she had learned enough to give her pause for thought and to put things in perspective. She looked at Jack. He must have seen so much of time and space himself, even before boarding the TARDIS.

Jack stared into his tea. He was thinking about everything he had lost. Those years that were taken from him and whether he would regain those missing memories or not. He wondered if there were days he would discover he would rather remain forgotten. Had he been here before, for example? A lot could happen in the years he couldn’t recall. What he knew now was that he wanted to see the Doctor and the TARDIS again and get somewhere nicer. He wasn’t opposed entirely to conflict. He could handle firearms easily. He wasn’t exactly raising his hand to die either though. He had considered himself a bit of a coward, for better or worse.  He slowly felt that fading since meeting Rose and the Doctor. He had prepared to sacrifice himself at the end of their first encounter and now, here he was: still alive, for now anyway. He would have to thank them for that sometime.

The Doctor ran in the opposite direction now, getting a better look at the soldiers and the victims. He felt like a coward. These people needed help, the survivors at least. This was history though. Not that he hadn’t meddled before, but there were no aliens manipulating events that he could tell and no extenuating circumstances roping him into it as far as he could tell. He wasn’t so sure about Jack and Rose yet though, so he was focused on finding them. Still, he had helped people avoid boarding the Titanic. He had helped before. He had stood up to Soldiers before. Heck, he had been one a lifetime ago. So why was he not doing anything about these soldiers now. Why wasn’t he releasing people from the camps and treating the injured, like, well, a doctor? He shook his head. The people who died had done so before he could have done anything, save for one who dies months later. There were still survivors and the Irish would take care of their own. He would find his friends and go from there. He ran past soldiers and flashed his psychic paper, not really knowing or caring at this point what they would say. It would buy him some time, time he didn’t have to deal with some daft men with guns aimed at people who didn’t deserve it. “Don’t mind me, lads. Coming through.” He was good at running and avoiding gunfire (except for a few times he was embarrassed to think about.) He’s been in worse scrapes. At worst, he had a trick for that. His human charges did not have that luxury, much like the people here.

“So, um, miss. Thank you again. Why did you help us again? We’re not exactly from here, as you said.” Rose asked politely. “The woman responded frankly, but still with warmth and kindness. “I thought I told ye, dear. It’s Madge. Not Miss or ma’am. And it’s no trouble at all. It’s dangerous out there and I can’t just leave ye at the mercy of the men and their guns. Lord knows enough have been killed or injured.” She looked down for a moment, silently. Long enough for Rose to notice. She decided not to press further. She did find herself placing her hand on the older woman’s though, which was met with appreciation. “Thanks, dear. It’ll be alright. It’s in the lord’s hands now. I can only pray this doesn’t last too much longer. We must have faith.” She said, drinking her tea and glancing at the cross on the wall. “Jack asked while drinking his tea. “Do you live alone, Madge?” This house isn’t large but it seems a bit spacious for one woman.” He didn’t want to be completely removed from things. Besides, he was curious. He might have been a conman for a while, but he wasn’t heartless.

“Just me for now. Never mind that. I never quite got your names, dears. I did ask ye what yer story was after all.” Rose spoke up. My name is Rose. Rose Tyler. This is” She was interrupted by the man speaking for himself. “Captain Jack Harkness.” He said offering a hand and an infectious smile. Unfortunately for Jack she was mostly immune to his charms. “Nice to meet you Captain, but don’t be getting no funny ideas. “Rose chuckled at his flirtatious tone being rejected for probably the first time as far as she knew. Madge then walked over and shook Rose’s hand. “Rose is a lovely name for such a bright and lovely girl. It’s lovely to meet both of you. Though…what are you a captain of? You aren’t with them after all, are ye?” she asked suspiciously. “He shook his head vehemently. “Rose spoke for him this time. “A friend of ours, we met the Captain in London a while back…. we got separated from him though.” She stated with concern in her voice. “His name is the Doctor. I…we. Hope he’s alright.” Madge patted Rose’s hand in return.

“There there, dear. I will pray along with ye that yer friend finds ye in one piece. It’s a bloody mess out there right now, with those soldiers sticking their guns where they don’t belong. But sometimes faith is all we have at hand to get us through the troubles. She took out some rosaries and handed them to her guests. “Doctor is a funny name for a bloke, and It seems suspicious, but I trust ye, and if ye trust him, then that will have to be enough for me. Jack and Rose thanked her and prayed with her. Neither TARDIS occupants were particularly religious, but it’s all they could do for now. It’s either that or search him out right away, and their host certainly wasn’t going to let them go out right now. They would stay put for the time being. As anxious as doing nothing made them, they had to have faith that the Doctor would pull through and that they would get out of here. Madge got up to fetch more tea, and they all sat tight for the time being.


	4. Run

Blood ran from some of the bodies as the Doctor ran from the armed men. He was getting tired of being shot at, but he was rather used to it at this point. He just wished he could coerce them out of shooting him. He had done it before, but that was two soldiers on a balcony, rather than the forces in the street now. This sickened the Doctor and brought him back. He often fought on the side of the United Kingdom, with UNIT or Countermeasures, or met British royalty, but some of the things done in the name of empire and unity were enough to make his stomach turn. 

Sometimes, he thought these stupid apes were no better than his own people. No wonder people fought back with their guns. Not that he approved of that either, but was it really his place? After all he had done, was he qualified to make that call or was he just as bad as the soldiers if he intervened? He shook those thoughts from his head. He was read to help when he could. There really wasn’t much he could do now. It was settled. These people were ghosts. Their screams were silenced, nothing more than banshees in the halls of time. He wondered if Rose and Jack were having a way better time of things.

Rose and Jack had debated waiting for the Doctor but decided to be more proactive, as they doubted their friend would knock on every door of the village searching for his friends, not that knocking on a door and exploring someone’s house was totally out of character for the strange man. Rose remembered her early encounters with him. He was this weirdo in leather with big ears who blew up her job. He had saved her though, not just from aliens, but from a mundane life lived in vain, without ever helping others. 

She thought to those who lay dead or possibly dying. She felt powerless. She felt sad knowing that she didn’t even know these people’s names or lives. It’s to be expected when you weren’t exactly a history nut or when you ended up miles from home and in the middle of a bloodbath with no chance to really meet any of the victims beforehand. It was like getting to a concert when it was wrapping up and everyone was getting ready to go. You might meet a few people, but you’re too late. Rose realized the concert analogy was a poor one. She also realized that while she wouldn’t quit this life ever, she missed her mum.

Jack knew that adding to the body count would affect history for the worse. He was a former time agent travelling with a time lord. It went without saying, but damn he wished he had a gun on him. If they were going to head back out there, he wanted to keep himself and Rose safe. Flirting would only go so far in disarming someone. He sighed. “Madge, we’re going out looking for our friend. We don’t know where he is and the odds of him knocking on the door were quite slim, though Jack could see the Doctor doing that, despite not knowing him long. As expected, Madge protested. “No. Absolutely not. You’re safer here. Have more faith, loves. I’m sure your friend will be by soon.” 

Rose grabbed her hand and looked at her pleadingly. “We do have faith, but staying here will only do so much. Please? Have faith in us.” Rose didn’t really expect her words to have much effect. She was grateful to this woman for sheltering them, but they needed to get out of here. They couldn’t just wait for the Doctor. They needed to find him. Both companions pleaded with the woman, but she finally relented. “Alright. Alright. But I will come with you. I insist, just as much as you do.” Jack and Rose were ready to deny her request, but they relented, especially when she went to a nearby drawer and pulled out a handgun, though neither time traveler was sure of the make. The three of them headed out th door and prepared to search for the Doctor. They had waited long enough. It was time to act.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really short chapter today. I feel I am dragging this one out too long and it's getting boring. I wish I had done a better job of this idea, because I thought it would be really cool. I might end it in a couple chapters and move on to something more attention grabbing. I don't think I want to completely abandon this time period though. I might make this a series. Maybe have Ten visit Belfast. For now, sorry for the rushed entry. I think next chapter, I might do something a little more experimental: what were each of the victims thinking when they died. perhaps? I dunno.


	5. Invisible Sun

The Doctor looked out upon the fractured and chaotic streets of Derry, stained with blood, painted by the bullets of English guns. These little people just look for excuses to be cruel to each other, to amass power or wealth (or both). Perhaps his people and the people of Earth weren’t so different when you got down to it. They appeared similar enough on the surface at the very least. They both had a penchant for corruption and secrets and pageantry. The Doctor shook his head. He could ruminate on that later. Philosophizing would not comfort the dead, it would not heal the wounded, and it would not bring Jack and Rose any closer, if they were alive somewhere. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. He listened carefully, through the sounds of the terror and the guns and the faint scent of bog water and bloodshed. He walked slowly, and carefully, holding his sonic in front of him, as a form of echolocation almost, to avoid walking into walls. This sort of walking meditation worked, as with a clear mind and open ears, he heard a faint conversation and some familiar voices.

Adorned in a purple wool coat and a white shawl, Madge locks her door as Jack and Rose stand by. Jack stands with his back against a wall, hands in his pockets, while Rose shuffled her feet and stared in front of her, chewing some gum. She had a pack in her pocket, probably from home. She wasn’t sure where she had obtained it, but it wasn’t old or gross by any means.

“Right, you two. Stay close. I know these streets well, so that should help ye out a little faster.”

The two time-travelers followed the Irish woman as she led them towards the madness. They walked back the way they had initially come, navigating the streets with the help of their new friend.

“Once ye find yer friend, I’m headin’ home. I am happy to help you, dears, but I think it’s best we stay away from the soldiers.”

After navigating the streets and alleyways, Rose and Jack started to recognize their surroundings. Things start to come into perspective, where they were more blurry and hectic.

“Oi, hang on. This is right around where we…. THERE!” she shouted and pointed towards a man with big ears and a leather jacket. He turned to face her and his face lit up. Jack smiled as well, so relieved to have found the Doctor. Rose and the Doctor didn’t even think. They just ran towards each other and hugged, joined shortly by Jack.

However, the reunion was cut short almost immediately by more soldiers, who held up their guns and told them to halt where they stood. The Doctor had grown so weary of these soldiers and their guns. He had known soldiers, befriended them, been one of them, seen them die. They were following orders, some reluctantly. And yet, unsure of if it was despite or because of this, he had had his fill of these silly little apes and their guns. Humanizing the threat in front of them wasn’t going to eradicate it. And eradicating the soldiers would cause more problems than it would solve, not that he could do much in this situation to that extent. The Doctor ties to do what he does best: use his words and his wits. Unfortunately, politicking his way around armed men with orders wasn’t going to work this time.

The bullet zooms through the air in an instant, yet time almost slows down for the Doctor when he turns to see someone get hit by it. Rose had instinctively shoved Madge out of the way and taken the bullet herself, in her stomach. She collapsed on the ground, coughing heavily.

“ROSE!” The Doctor’s scream of anguish rang through the square as he rushed towards her and scooped her up.

“TARDIS! NOW!” he shouted at Jack and Madge as he led them towards the blue box.

With the TARDIS right there, the adrenaline kicked in and the sound faded from the world. The Doctor saw red. As red as the blood pouring from Rose. As red as the blood on his hands. As red as the blood on the streets of Derry. He carried Rose in his arms and barged through the doors with Jack far behind.

“Jack, with me. Now!” the timelord said with a cold, solemn rage.

The reformed conmen followed him into the corridors past the console, as did Madge. She was dumbfounded by the impossible surroundings of what appeared to be an English Police box by all accounts. They headed down a corridor, turned left, then left again, then two rights and a left until they found the medical bay. Jack would have made a joke about the Doctor having a hospital in his ship, but there was a time and a place. Rose was still alive, but gasping.The Doctor laid Rose on a hospital bed, then took off his jacket. He placed it behind her head as a pillow and went to a nearby table. He pulled out a tool like his sonic screwdriver, but bladed. He used it to take out the bullet, which turned out to be two, according to the medical scanner overhead. Upon instruction, Jack handed him some gauze. The Doctor dressed Rose’s wounds and placed his hands on her temples, gently easing her pain. He took out his sonic screwdriver and waved it over her body.

“Stable… for now.” Jack, keep an eye on her.

He had vowed to protect this girl. TO take care of her and keep her out of harm’s way. He wanted to show her the stars and all that ever was or ever will be. Instead, he had fed her to the wolves, their fangs dripping with blood. Those bad beasts had taken so many from him:

Sarah Kingdom

Adric

Lucy

Molly

Cinder

Way too many to count right now. He had a room just for them deep in the bowels of his ship. Would he have to add Rose among them?

No. He wouldn’t add her name to that list. She would not die today. Not on his watch. He was a doctor and it was time to operate.

“You.” He said pointing to the stranger in the purple coat.

“What about me?” asked the distraught woman, who not only saw the laws of physics break down around her, but had just witnessed another young soul brought down by gunfire. She was a bit on edge. She could only imagine how this man who was supposedly a good friend of hers and Jack’s was feeling right now. He seemed to be just as weary of blood and bullets as she was, possibly more so.

“I’ll drop you off at your house. I want you to forget all about me and this ship.”

“No.” the exasperated woman exclaimed.

“I really don’t have time to argue while my friend is dying. DO as I say!” the Doctor started in a sarcastic tone before ending in a shout of pain and rage.

“I’m not going anywhere until I know that girl is safe. I may not have known her as long as you have, but I will not see another smiling face cut down by these men and their guns. This senseless bloodshed. I might not be a fancy Doctor with a…Tardy box or whatever you called it, but where would I be if I stood before St. Peter when my time comes and I stood by doin’ nothin’ while this sweet girl bled before my eyes.” Madge’s words gave the Doctor a moment for pause. She reminded him of someone he lost once. He sighed.

“I didn’t ask for any stowaways.” He started the TARDIS and headed for the medical bay quickly.

“What’s your name?”

“Madge.” She replied quickly.

“Rose is stable for now. We’ll watch over her together, then we’ll take her home.

Jack normally would have interceded, made some comment, but for now, he just stood by Rose and comforted her.

“I haven’t known you too long Rose, but I hope to hell you pull through. I think we both could use a drink.” He said solemnly while kissing her hand.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I dragged my feet to update this thing. Fitting, seeing as the pacing is a bit shit. I had ended up dealing with some other junk and focusing on my more romantic fics and I kind of hit a wall with this one. Apologies if this is bad and/ or rushed. I decided I wanted to shake things up a bit and have Rose get shot. She survives, of course, which robs it of any tension, but still, I kind of set it up (in a ham-handed matter, I admit) with her worried about what could happen, how this all felt more real as it was just humans with guns and not aliens plotting in the background. How her mom was just a kid herself when this was going on. The scenes in the TARDIS kind of rob this of the original intention, but honestly, if I want to get to other parts of the Troubles, it's either being a bit off when landing the TARDIS or some convoluted nonsense where it is captured and shipped to Belfast.
> 
> I think I might end this soon, or at least this section of it. I might turn it into a series. For now, the grand tale of "Had a good concept that turned out to be a meandering, stop-go mess" is drawing to its conclusion. I want to learn from this. I have so many ideas, especially for Doctor Who stories. I might have faltered here, but I plan to do right by them from here on out.
> 
> Here you go, dears.


End file.
